Will NHTSA leadership lead to successful Takata air bag recall?

Will NHTSA leadership lead to successful Takata air bag recall?

Posted By
Eliot Reiner

Earlier this month, we gave readers a brief history of the air bag, including
when it was invented and when laws were changed to include air bags as
standard equipment. Since the late 1990s, automakers have been required
to install air bagsin all new vehicles to be driven in the United States.

Since then, Japanese parts manufacturer Takata has emerged as an industry
leader in the development and manufacturing of air bags. The company sells
its products to major car companies around the world. As we learned in
the past year, however, Takata air bags can malfunction in deadly ways.
The revelation has led to the
recall of about 20 million vehicles in the U.S. alone.

The recall is so large and involves so many companies that the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced its plans to head
the effort. This is seemingly the first time that the NHTSA has invoked
its authority to unilaterally take over coordination of a recall. The
agency's administrator expressed concern that individual automakers
may attempt a "patch-work solution that NHTSA believes may not adequately
address the safety risks presented by the defective Takata inflators within
a reasonable time."

Because it is heading the recall, the NHTSA will be able to dictate the
pace (if things are moving too slow), and will have control over where
replacement parts are sent and when.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has long been criticized
for taking too long to enact meaningful reforms and for its allegedly
ineffective oversight of the auto industry. But these problems are largely
the result of the agency's limited authority and funding. Hopefully,
the Takata air bag recall will usher in a new era where better regulation
and enforcement can prevent defect-related auto accidents.